HTC's Blockchain-based Exodus smartphone to be launched in October

Taiwanese electronics company HTC will be launching its first Blockchain-based smartphone, Exodus, later this month, the company indicated on its Instagram page with a video teaser. The technology firm, which has been working on its Blockchain-powered smartphone Exodus for months, has announced that it will unveil the device as early as October.

According to the company website, "our vision is to expand the blockchain ecosystem by creating the world’s first phone dedicated to decentralized applications and security. With the release of the HTC Exodus we can now make this a reality."

Talking about Exodus, the website elaborates that "with over two decades of experience manufacturing the world’s leading smartphones, and shipping over 100 million phones, we believe we can help reshape the internet with the HTC Exodus. Join us and together we will make decentralization a reality."

According to HTC Vive Founder, Phil Chen, Exodus previously asserted that a smartphone like Exodus with a crypto-currency wallet will provide the most secure wallet on the market, tech website Smarthouse reported on Monday.

He, however, added that the device will initially target a "niche" audience and will be priced similarly to the world`s first Blockchain powered smartphone, Sirin Labs` Finney, at around $1,000, the report added.

Notably, the HTC Exodus is the brainchild of Chen, who was also the driving force behind the Vive virtual reality (VR) headset, and forms the start of a major blockchain push as the company looks to return to the smartphone industry.

The company had also said that the HTC Exodus will launch "definitely everywhere" outside of China. However, there are no specific details. 

Earlier this yearm Phil Chen had stated that the phone will support cryptocurrencies like “Bitcoin, Lightning Networks, Ethereum, Dfinity, and more.”

Meanwhile, HTC is not the first in the world to launch a blockchain phone. Earlier this year, Switzerland-based Sirin Labs launched the world’s first commercial blockchain phone, Finney.

An Android-based smartphone, Finney features a built-in “cold-storage” crypto wallet and peer-to-peer resource sharing and other blockchain elements. 

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Finney has a 6-inch 18:9 notch screen, 8-megapixel selfie camera, and 12-megapixel main camera, said a Hindustan Times report, adding that the device is available for pre-order for $999 (Rs 73,600 approximately).